Performance Dashboards: Measuring, Monitoring, and Managing Your Business

by Wayne Eckerson

Book Overview

Tips, techniques, and trends on harnessing dashboard technology to optimize business performance

In Performance Dashboards, Second Edition, author Wayne Eckerson explains what dashboards are, where they can be used, and why they are important to measuring and managing performance. As Director of Research for The Data Warehousing Institute, a worldwide association of business intelligence professionals, Eckerson interviewed dozens...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470589833
• ISBN13: 9780470589830
• Release Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Quo vadis?

For purposes of discussion, pretend that your organization is a vehicle within which you and your associates travel en route to a series of destinations; for example, various stages of progressively improved operational efficiency and progressively increased profitability. One key question arises: How well is your vehicle performing? The three "dashboards" (i.e. operational, tactical, and strategic) that Wayne Eckerson offers in this volume can help to answer that question. "The monitoring application conveys critical information at a glance using timely and relevant data, usually with graphical elements; the analysis application lets users analyze and explore performance data across multiple dimensions and at different levels of detail to get at the root cause of problems and issues; the management application fosters communication among executives, managers, and staff and gives executives continuous feedback across a range of critical activities, enabling them to `steer' their organizations in the right direction." The ultimate success of the cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective system which Eckerson discusses in this book depends on several factors: sufficient leadership and resources at all levels of implementation, correct and consistent application of the right metrics, a compelling graphical user interface, and contingency planning which ensures user adoption while driving the organizational changes. I especially appreciate Eckerson's provision of three mini case studies that illustrate how -- in real-world situations - the three performance "dashboards" can achieve the desired objectives. Specifically, those that are operational (Quicken Loans, Inc., pages 127-141), those which are tactical (International Truck and Engine Corp., pages 143-158), and those which are strategic (Hewlett Packard Co., pages 159-177). I also appreciate the material provided in Part Three (Critical Success Factors: Tips from the Trenches) as Eckerson correlates various multilayered applications built on business intelligence and data integration infrastructure that enables any organization (regardless of size or nature) to measure, monitor, and manage business performance more effectively. All executives recognize the importance of accurate and consistent measurement of what really matters. Obviously, the "what" varies (sometimes significantly) from one organization to another. In my opinion, the three performance "dashboards" that Eckerson recommends can be of substantial benefit, whatever the given "what" may be but if - and only if - the aforementioned success factors are present. To repeat, they are: sufficient leadership and resources at all levels of implementation, correct and consistent application of the right metrics, a compelling graphical user interface, and contingency planning which ensures user adoption while driving the organizational changes. This book is by no means an "easy read" but it will generously reward those who absorb

Unbiased view on performance management and dashboards

Eckerson brings a wealth of knowledge and history to the topic of performance management dashboards. I found that the book was extremely educational on the overall topic of data integration, business intelligence, and operational applications. Many vendors try to educate the market on their biased approach to how companies can best use dashboards to improve their performance. Eckerson cuts through the white noise and writes a very objective, educational, and practical perspective. I work for a technology vendor and when I fear I might be drinking my own Kool-Aid too much, I refer back to this book to get a balanced view of the market.

5 stars +! Must have if you're in Performance Management as IT or Management Consultant

I'm PMP (Project Management Professional), active in Performance Management for the last 6 years. My IT knowledge is about the average, I'm very confident in design sophisticated Excel files to sort and analyze Performance data. This is a type of book I was looking for a while! Help me to understand the IT side of managing Performance Management data. It is not an IT book, this means even non IT educated readers, like myself, can highly benefit of it. I strongly reccomend this book to a variety of professionals for different reasons: * to not so experienced Managers and Project Managers: it gives a great overview of how is possible to integrate IT in business/projects in order to take fully advantage of using accurate data, benefit actionable information, be results oriented. Also it shows how is possible to succesfully manage design and implement a Performance Dashboard project, and use it to empower people, stay on target, understand the big picture. This is an excellent start to understand how to deal with IT projects, and how to smartly use IT in taking right time decisions. * to experienced Managers and Project Managers: a superb view of how to communicate better with IT, speak same language and design results oriented applications. The author presents very well how is possible try to balance and to compromise (and hopefully succeed!) the IT need of planning, and clear specifications, and management desire to have the final product in place over the night. Strongly hope the managers will better understand this process and they will learn it is worth while spend some more time with planning and testing, instead of waisting 10 times more later, in desperate attempts to catch up with changes, running around the clock and making last time improvements. * for IT professionals: it might be a back on earth lesson. In a lot of companies IT is a tool to reach business objectives and not the ultimate goal. The people wich are not so IT skilled might be good some other places, and is nice they are like this. If IT experts will spend some more time with them, they finally might understand how can use IT applications in their advantage. I will keep it as a future refference when I'll be in the position to design performance measurement databases, customize reports, plan data analyzis, join teams with IT experts. Thank you Wayne, this really helped me!

The Definitive Book on Dashboards

Wayne Eckerson has done a stellar job of putting dashboards in the context of both IT and business, and explaining what can be a deceptively complex topic in a lucid and friendly way. His advice is practical and well-researched. Wayne's examples are pertinent, indeed representative of what many of my clients are in the throes of trying to deliver. From a practitioner's perspective, there's some solid content here. And from a reader's perspective, Performance Dashboards is also well-structured, user-friendly, and pleasure to read. It will definitely be a staple in my IT library--but very close to the Business shelf!

An Outstanding book

For full disclosure purposes, let me say that I've had the pleasure to work with Wayne Eckerson at The Data Warehousing Institute even though my "day job" is an MIS faculty member at the University of Georgia. But with this disclosure, let me say that I truly believe that if you are an executive, IT professional or student with an interest in business performance management, this is a "must read" book. It is up-to-date, is beautifully written, provides a comprehensive treatment of the technical and organizational issues, integrates research findings, and includes many real-world examples. After reading the book, you will be ready to begin or enhance a BPM initiative.